6 Techniques for Incorporating FOMO Into Your Digital Marketing Strategy
If you’ve spent any time on social media, then you know what FOMO is, even if you don’t know what the acronym stands for.
FOMO means “fear of missing out” and it’s a marketing strategy that many have leveraged to great effect. What makes it so effective is that it taps into our human nature. While people are typically risk-averse, we also don’t like to miss out on something either. But seriously, who likes to miss out on a great, limited-time deal?
Messaging Matters
FOMO is simple in its essence, but you need to do it right if you want to see a real return on your investment. Messaging really matters here. You want to create a sense of urgency by using strong verbs and an active voice. Some examples of this include:
- Last chance to buy
- Don’t miss out
- Time’s running out
- Limited time only
The goal is to persuade your target audience to act now and to not wait.
The Timer’s Running
Giving a time limit on something is like setting a countdown timer (which you can actually do on your social media and website). Placing a time limit or deadline on availability of a product or a deal adds natural pressure. Always make your deadline absolute. While an occasional extension can be effective, doing it too often can really dilute the effectiveness of FOMO. In other words, don’t be the boy who cried wolf.
Story Time
FOMO doesn’t always have to be about pushing conversions. It can be about increasing engagement too. There are two options for organic content that have the opportunity to be highly engaging and use FOMO to get people viewing your content. The first is disappearing content. The most well-known type of disappearing content is Instagram Stories. These posts, unless saved in a Stories Highlight, disappear after 24 hours. Users don’t want to miss out on viewing your story, especially if you serve up engaging, fun content.
The other type of organic FOMO content is Lives. When you go live, you are creating an experience that people don’t want to miss out on. Even if they catch a replay of the Live, it’s not the same as getting in on the action live and interacting with the content creator or business. To amp up the feeling of FOMO, give your viewers a special promo code for a limited time deal or give them information that they can only get on the Live.
A Wealth of Riches
Speaking of giving your audience information, content-rich marketing is key to any type of marketing tool you use. What is content-rich marketing? It is when you provide something of value to your audience. Prime examples of rich content are how-to’s, thought leadership articles, podcasts, infographics, and videos. Trying to incorporate something of value into all of your FOMO marketing campaigns makes it that much more engaging, which leads to higher rates of conversion.
Amp it Up!
When an influencer or someone with influence talks about your product or service, it can lead to a significant boost to your FOMO campaign, and you don’t need an A-list celebrity or mega influencer to see a boost (though we know how nice that would be)! Even a small influencer can help boost your brand awareness and brand message. How does FOMO play into this? If an influencer is enjoying a product or service, it’s likely your target audience won’t want to miss out on that experience either.
The Proof is in the Pudding
You have to be able to back up your claims and that comes through sharing social proof. Social proof is essentially what customers think of your product or service, or how others are purchasing from you.
Testimonials should appear not just on your social media, but throughout the purchasing journey on your website. The idea is that if others trust your brand and have a great experience, you don’t want to miss out on that by not making a purchase.
Honesty is the Best Policy
Finally, while FOMO techniques can help boost your sales, it is important to always be honest with your audience. Share offers that will resonate with them and their needs and never be deceitful about anything. The truth will come out and if you lie about something, your audience will find out and lose trust and interest in your brand.